HID Global in the driver’s seat on mobile citizen IDs

Soon the only proof of identity you’ll need is your smartphone. ASSA ABLOY Group company HID Global, now has the technology in place to allow you to call up your driver’s license at the touch of a button.

Rob Haslam, vice president and managing director of Government ID Solutions at HID Global, says: “As the first solution to enable convenient yet secure issuing and receiving of credentials over the air, the HID goID platform creates a brand-new category for mobile citizen IDs. Governments around the world already rely on HID Global for major programs, such as the US Green Card, Irish Passport data page, Angola National ID and more; HID goID lays the foundation for HID Global to lead the evolution to mobile IDs as well.”

Seos technology has already demonstrated the transformational power of mobile IDs in numerous applications, from accessing offices and hotel rooms to data and cloud apps. There is also growing demand for the equivalent of a digital wallet with multiple identities for different scenarios. A Zogby Analytics poll of 18- to 34-year-old smartphone owners revealed that 39 percent would like to verify their identity with a digital ID instead of a driver’s license.

HID Global is now engaging with national governments and state and provincial driver’s license agencies about the possibility of launching goID™ pilots that will explore each jurisdiction’s specific platform deployment objectives and requirements. The solution will eliminate the need for people to stand in line for new cards and renewals.

Key focus areas include preventing fraud through authentication over secure channels; optimizing flexibility for online authentication if a citizen’s smartphone battery dies; simplifying issuance through over-the-air provisioning as already proven at universities, banks, hotels, hospitals and other institutions leveraging Seos technology; and protecting privacy by utilizing a smartphone’s Bluetooth connection so users can electronically present their credentials without physically relinquishing their smartphones.